Feds let MTA cut regulatory corner to open LIRR terminal by year’s end
A new Long Island Rail Road station can open at Grand Central Terminal next month after the feds granted a waiver to a safety regulation requiring a specific technology that prevents train crashes, but which LIRR leaders say is redundant, The Post has learned.
The feds are allowing the “East Side Access” tunnel — which takes trains from Long Island to Midtown — to open without the installation of “hazard detector” tech that automatically stops Amtrak trains before they can inadvertently get on the tracks at the new $11 billion “Grand Central Madison” terminal.
Local officials say the tech is not needed because the new tunnel and station already have several safeguards in place to prevent oversize Amtrak trains from accidentally heading the wrong way. The tech will eventually be added after the station’s opening.
“If an Amtrak train operating with oversized rolling stock is routed towards the [Grand Central Madison] tunnel, a series of redundant protections exist to prevent that train from entering the tunnel,” FRA safety regulators wrote. “Granting LIRR’s request is in the public interest and consistent with railroad safety.”
The LIRR has until Feb. 15 to integrate hazard detection into its on-board train computers, the FRA said.
“We received the FRA waiver as anticipated since the LIRR train control system already has features that prevent oversized trains from entering the east side tunnels,” MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan said in a statement.
New York began construction on East Side Access in 2007. The project was initially projected to cost $2.2 billion — one-fifth of its final price tag.
The new Grand Central Madison terminal — which runs alongside Madison Avenue — is 150 feet below ground. It will increase the LIRR’s capacity by 45 percent, according to state leaders.
LIRR Commuter Council chair Gerard Bringmann said he is confident the MTA can meet the FRA’s February deadline.
“The regulations provide safety redundancies — like a belt with suspenders — and we’re comfortable that service can start with the systems that are in place now, in anticipation of the additional work,” Bringmann said. “With this waiver in place, we’re hopeful that LIRR riders can arrive at Grand Central on time, before the end of the year.”
